Skill: ux-design

Skill: ux-design

What I do

I help you create intuitive and user-friendly experiences in terminal applications. I focus on matching user expectations, providing clear feedback, and ensuring that complex tasks are easy to perform. I ensure that your CLI or TUI is a tool that users enjoy using rather than a source of frustration.

When to use me

• When you're designing the interaction flow of a new CLI tool.
• When you're writing error messages or help text.
• When you're adding confirmation prompts for destructive actions.
• When you're designing the onboarding process for new users.

Core principles

1. Match user expectations, follow established CLI conventions and use familiar terms and patterns.
2. Progressive disclosure, provide a simple default experience while allowing advanced users to access more features via flags or sub-commands.
3. Immediate feedback, always provide a clear and immediate response to user actions so they know what happened.
4. Forgiving design, make it easy for users to undo actions or get help when they're stuck.

Patterns & examples

Error message quality

Provide clear information about what went wrong and how to fix it.

• Good, "Error: Could not find config file at ~/​.config/​app.json. Run app init to create one."
• Bad, "File not found."

Confirmation for destructive actions

Prevent accidental data loss.

• Example, "Are you sure you want to delete all records? This action cannot be undone. [y/​N]"

Help text design

Ensure that help text is readable and useful.

• Pattern, Group flags by category (e.g., Output, Authentication) and provide clear examples of common commands.

Feedback loops

Keep the user updated on the status of their request.

• Action, Use success messages like "Successfully updated record #123" or failure messages with specific error codes.

Anti-patterns to avoid

• ❌ Silent failures, failing to provide any output when a command doesn't work as expected.
• ❌ Inconsistent flags, using different names for the same action across different commands (e.g., -f for force in one command and --force in another).
• ❌ Hostile error messages, using jargon or blaming the user for mistakes.
• ❌ Opaque progress, making the user wait for a long-running task without any indication of progress.

KB Reference

~/​vaults/​baphled/​3. Resources/​Knowledge Base/​AI Development System/​Skills/​UI-Frameworks/​UX Design.md

Related skills

• ui-design, for the visual layer of the interface.
• information-architecture, for structuring content and navigation.
• accessibility, for ensuring the experience is inclusive.
• huh, for building user-friendly interactive forms.